PAL flies to Japan from Cebu
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) had something very special to share with the discerning Cebuanos and the neighboring islands.
In a well-attended cocktail reception held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, PAL provided travel agencies, program partners and members of the media with an overview of the flag carrier’s latest flight offerings.
Harry Inoferio, PAL senior assistant vice president, Philippine sales, and a Cebuano at heart, stated that the launch of the new air service is the flag carrier’s response to strong public clamor for new routes to Japan, considered the third biggest source of visitor arrivals in the country. He revealed that very soon PAL will commence their four weekly flights (Monday, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays) between Cebu and Osaka that will depart at 9:15 a.m. from the Cebu Mactan International Airport, arriving Osaka at 2:40 p.m. local time. Return flights fall on the same days, departing Osaka at 3:40 p.m. local time, arriving Cebu 7:30 p.m.
This pronouncement elicited much applause from the guests who welcomed the hassle-free direct flights.
Chris Lebumfacil, area head for Visayas Sales, for his part, stated that the new routes to be launched within the month will bring to 67 the total number of PAL flights to Japan per week.
The carrier currently operates from Manila 11 weekly flights to Haneda (Tokyo), 14 weekly flights to Narita (Tokyo), seven weekly flights each to Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka. From Cebu there are 14 weekly flights to Narita (Tokyo).
Data from the Department of Tourism shows that from January to August 2014, arrivals from Japan reached 310,901, an increase of 5.95 percent from the 293,445 tallied during the same period the previous year. These figures clearly affirm the need for more direct flights to Japan, a prime destination that has become quite popular among Filipinos in recent years. And with the opening of this Cebu link, PAL brings this wonderful destination closer to southern Philippines.
